British champion Callum Johnson says he is “here to stay” as he prepares to take his resurgent career onto the world stage.

The Boston fighter, already the Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion, ripped the British belt off Frank Buglioni with a devastating first-round knockout in March.

Johnson’s team are now in negotiations to face current IBF champion, Artur Beterbiev, the Russian who has been dubbed the ‘light-heavyweight GGG’ after being compared to middleweight icon Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin.

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“There’s meant to be a fight,” said Johnson. “It’s all in negotiations. As it stands I am just waiting to hear back from my team about it.

“With all the negotiating, promoting and training, it will be around September, but it could be earlier or a little later."

After a stop-start career, Johnson is finally realising his potential and is eager to get into the ring with Beterbiev.

“I’m here to stay. You can’t control injuries and I’ve been unlucky since I turned professional [in 2010].

“But the time is now, I’m fresh, I don’t feel 32.”

Callum Johnson was invited to Lincoln City's game against Wycombe in April after winning the British title (Image: Chris Vaughan/CameraSport)

The stunning victory over the highly-rated Buglioni has taken Johnson’s career to new level, with world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua speaking highly of him during a recent appearance in Skegness.

“It’s gone mad since the win,” added Johnson. “I always knew I was capable of it – it was a real destruction job.

“It’s nice to get the recognition and show that I am the real deal.

“I’ve known Anthony for quite a while. I knew him before he was world champion, to me he’s still just Anthony. I don’t think too much about comments like that but it’s still nice to hear.”